Jack Earl
Jack Earl, Now He Ain’t, ceramic, neon, 19x12x8 in
Jack Earl, Uniopolis, ceramic, neon, 22x15x8 in
Jack Earl, I Hope This Ain’t It, ceramic, neon, 22x15x8 in
Jack Earl, Hey Bill Where You Goin…, ceramic, neon, 24x15x11 in
Jack Earl, I Would, But Not Now I’m Working, ceramic, neon, 22x15x8 in
Jack Earl, Hewer of Stone, ceramic and neon, 15x14x12 in
Jack Earl, Willy, Wonda, and Junior Worm, porcelain, 7x8x6 in
Jack Earl, Happy Birthday Bill, ceramic, 12.5x7.5x7.5 in
Jack Earl, Shadow and Man, ceramic, 25.5x15.5x12 in
Jack Earl, Man Made Man, ceramic, 27x21x14 in, SOLD
Jack Earl, Dog Walk, porcelain, 18x18x14 in
Jack Earl, I Wasn't Always Who I Am, ceramic, 14.5x7.5x9.5 in
Right: Jack Earl, Teapot, The Sun Shines, ceramic, 12x8.5x9 in
Jack Earl, Some Cloud, ceramic, 10x11x6 in
Jack Earl, Where Are You Going Bill, ceramic, acrylic on canvas, 16.5x12.5x7 in
Jack Earl, Precipice, ceramic, 28x11x11.5 in
Jack Earl, Elvis Teapot, porcelain, 9x10.5x5.5 in
Jack Earl, Girl With a Secret, ceramic, found object
Jack Earl, Figures With Dog Heads, ceramic, found object
Jack Earl, Nativity, ceramic, 12.5x7x7 in
Jack Earl, Han Made Teapot, porcelain, 14.5x11.5x5 in
Jack Earl, Time Bound by Mind, ceramic, SOLD
artist info
The subjects of Earl's porcelain sculptures generally are based upon the circumscribed lives and lifestyles of people in his own culturally isolated, small-town world in Ohio. Typically, his ceramic personalities are engaged in humdrum activities in vernacular surroundings. But while he represents life in rural Middle America, he does not depict it from the disassociated vantage point of a social commentator, satirist, or folklorist. Instead, Earl revels in his role as an active participant in ordinary affairs, and while he often pokes fun in his art, he always remains a sensitive recorder of the human condition. Attuned to the metaphoric and symbolic content of the prosaic lives around him, his porcelain individuals are often elevated to the status of Everyman.
Jack Earl was born in Uniopolis, Ohio in 1934. He graduated from Bluffton University with a major in ceramics, then received a Masters in ceramics from The Ohio State University. After graduating, Earl taught at the Art Institute at the Toldeo Museum of Art, and later accepted a position at Virginia Commonwealth University. During his time in Virginia, he was invited to be the first artist-in-residence at the Kohler Factory, funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. He was later invited back for a second Kohler residency in 1976, and has since received a second National Endowment of the Arts Award, as well as awards from the American Craft Council and the Ohio Arts Council. Earl’s work is included in several public and private collections including the Smithsonian, Columbus Museum of Art, American Crafts Museum, Racine Arts Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, and the LA County Museum of Art.